Monumental Marathon: Training Week 1 of 12

Annnnnd we’re back to weekly updates! I know, I know…you all missed them so much. I mean, I know I missed the miles!

Last Monday was my first day back to running after 3 full weeks off. And I’m happy to report that the return was glorious and happy, albeit sluggish and awkward. This was totally expected and I had to remind myself that getting back into shape isn’t going to be easy and it certainly isn’t ideal leading into such a short cycle for 26.2. I’m going to keep plugging along and putting in the miles and will see what happens.

In Week 1, I scheduled some light speed and tempo surges to ease back into training. Neither one felt great but I’m happy to report that the only thing that really hurt were my lungs, not my knee or my atrophied muscles. 🙂

This is what 3 weeks off looks like. I LIKE SEEING THOSE BLUE BARS!

Monday: [5 easy, 7:37 avg]

I missed the lakefront so much and this run was so relieving. Despite not being in pain following the cortisone shot (and not in too much pain even before the injection), I still didn’t know how this would go. I was so happy to be able to say “I RAN TODAY!”. I’m sure I looked like an uncoordinated baby giraffe out there on the lakefront path but damn, this felt good. And despite the cloud cover, it was anything but gloomy.

Tuesday: [8.19 easy with 8 x 30 sec surges, 7:53 avg]

Second run – and again, absolutely no pain or discomfort! I think letting the bursitis do its thing worked. Back at it. Manuel A C. and I ran to the lakefront after work. The waves were huge today! (almost wish I brought my phone to snap a pic) I helped pace Manny through 2 mi of his tempo (which were comfortable for him and not so comfortable for me!) and then ran a few miles solo. I ran 8 x 30 sec surges in the last two miles just by feel with 1 min easy jog between. I started around 6:25 pace and was surprised to see a 6:07 pace for the last one once I finished.

It appears that I also lost the necessary callouses on my feet because I did not enjoy running in the Ride 7’s tonight. I even stopped to tie the laces to skip a loop so that I had more room in the forefoot. It helped a bit but I likely won’t wear the Rides for anything over 5-6 miles…or at least until my callouses return. 🙂

Wednesday: OFF

As much as I wanted to run today, I knew I’d just be STOOPID for running 3 days in a row after taking 3 freaking weeks off.

Thursday: [9.5 mi with 6 x 3 min tempo surges, 7:44 avg]

Woof. Getting back into shape is painful. If there were ever a day to bring my phone to snap a pic/video, it was today. The Blue Angels were soaring over the lake to practice for the Air & Water Show this weekend. Really cool to watch & it kept me somewhat distracted from my pace through the workout.

I was clearly not ready for solid tempos yet (Week 1! ha!) so I decided to do 6 x 3 min tempo segments with 3 min jog recovery. First 2 felt like crap, next 2 felt tough but smoother, and last two felt like “weeeeeeeeeeeee!”.

0.43/6:54
0.44/6:51
0.44/6:48
0.45/6:41
0.45/6:40
0.47/6:28

Friday: OFF

Enjoyed my Friday night with a beer on the rooftop after work and a few beers with Manny that night. It appears that Friday nights without a Saturday long run can go pretty late.

Saturday: [Easy 6.1 mi, 8:05 avg]

I ran off a mild hangover slightly after 9 am. After running and a few glasses of Nuun, I felt like a normal human being. I hopped in the car that afternoon for an impromptu trip to Holland, MI with The Man. The drive was nice, especially because Barklee wanted to cuddle.

Sunday: [13 mi, 8:13 avg]

Long run in Holland. I originally planned on running anywhere between 12-14 miles. Considering how good the legs handled training earlier in the week, I figured 13 miles was perfect. I ran the first 7 miles really easy with Manny to the beach between 8:40-8:50 and the last 6 between 7:40-7:55. My legs were happy to run in a faster gear at the end and I felt like myself again. It was 67 degrees with 91% humidity so the first few miles felt surprisingly sluggish. I took a (salted watermleon!) Gu at mile 7 and water at miles 4, 7, and 10. I didn’t feel wiped out after that and I wasn’t sore on Sunday. All good signs that easing into the long run and training was the smart thing to do!